Lalime, locals savor Shrine Bowl experience

HANOVER — Peter Lalime bounced from player to player, giving out hugs and posing for pictures.

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By RYAN O'LEARY

seacoastonline.com

By RYAN O'LEARY

Posted Aug. 5, 2014 at 5:47 AM

By RYAN O'LEARY

Posted Aug. 5, 2014 at 5:47 AM

» Social News

HANOVER — Peter Lalime bounced from player to player, giving out hugs and posing for pictures.

You got the sense, as he took his final bow from high school football, that you'd have to drag him off the turf at Dartmouth College. And he wasn't alone. None of his New Hampshire teammates were in a hurry to leave.

"We're loving all of it," said Lalime, an Exeter High School grad who joined Collin Richardson in representing the Blue Hawks at the 61st Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl. "I'm sad to see these guys go. They're my brothers after this week."

Lalime and Richardson joined Epping's Joe Leclerc and Newmarket's Jake Valinski in savoring New Hampshire's 42-6 win over Vermont on Saturday night. They helped New Hampshire extend its win streak to 14 games, all while raising critical money for the three Shriners Hospitals for Children located in the Northeast.

Lalime was one of the event's top fundraisers. He contributed $840 to the cause, which was well over his original goal of $500.

"I knew that being chosen to play in the Shrine game was quite an honor and it was always something to strive for at Exeter," he said. "It is such an important cause that helps so many people. I am proud to have been selected."

Each New Hampshire player was positioned on one side of the ball. Lalime was an offensive guard, opening holes for running back Jason Martinez and passing lanes for quarterback Trevor Knight. He was an force throughout, as the New Hampshire offense racked up five touchdowns in a wildly productive first half.

"Trevor felt safe behind them," New Hampshire coach David Jackson said of the line. "They cared about each other so much and they bonded so much during the week, it was evident on the field that they were not going let anybody let us down, they weren't going to let anybody sneak up on us (on Saturday)."

Knight finished 12-for-20 passing for 209 yards and three touchdowns. He added 61 rushing yards on nine carries, and also fumbled twice and threw an interception.

Martinez was N.H.'s leading rusher with 111 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. Bedford's Nick Vailas caught a pair of first-quarter TD passes from Knight, and Winnacunnet's Alec Boucher led all receivers with four catches for 92 yards.

Richardson was the anchor of New Hampshire's defensive line, filling gaps and chasing down ball carries from his nose tackle position. He finished fifth on the team with six tackles, and both Valinski and Leclerc rotated in and saw snaps at inside linebacker as N.H. held Vermont scoreless in the second half.

"We felt on offense and defense we had the upper hand, because our team was big and fast," Richardson said. "Everyone was coming together. Every time we were in the huddle guys were saying 'No yards, no yards.' Everyone had the right mentality."

Both Valinski and Leclerc were humbled to be part of the team, coming from such small schools. They were among the 11 Division III players on this year's Shrine roster, and Leclerc used the word "disbelief" when he originally got the invitation in the mail.

"It was amazing. It was an experience to remember," Valinski said. "I can't even remember the words, but just lots of excitement" as the final seconds ticked down.

Now it's time to see what the future holds. Both Lalime and Richardson are off to play college football this fall, Lalime at Norwich University (Vt.) and Richardson at Bates College (Maine). Leclerc is heading to Fitchburg State (Mass.), and Valinski will continue his longtime goal of continuing his education at UNH; he's yet to decide if he'll try to walk on to the football team.

"I've got 10 days and then I'm off," Lalime said of the next chapter. "I'm excited."